wonted

Synonym Chooser

How is the word wonted distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of wonted are accustomed, customary, habitual, and usual. While all these words mean "familiar through frequent or regular repetition," wonted stresses habituation but usually applies to what is favored, sought, or purposefully cultivated.

his wonted determination

How is accustomed related to other words for wonted?

Accustomed is less emphatic than wonted or habitual in suggesting fixed habit or invariable custom.

accepted the compliment with her accustomed modesty

In what contexts can customary take the place of wonted?

The meanings of customary and wonted largely overlap; however, customary applies to what accords with the practices, conventions, or usages of an individual or community.

the customary waiting period before the application is approved

Where would habitual be a reasonable alternative to wonted?

While in some cases nearly identical to wonted, habitual suggests a practice settled or established by much repetition.

a habitual morning routine

When could usual be used to replace wonted?

Although the words usual and wonted have much in common, usual stresses the absence of strangeness or unexpectedness.

my usual order for lunch

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wonted His wonted improvisations and other departures from the script did not suggest his usual ease. Matthew Walther, TheWeek, 13 Mar. 2020 Egypt chose a different path, preferring to return to the wonted pain of dysfunctional autocracy and avoid civil war (although civil war seems even still to be creeping up on the Egyptians out of Sinai and Libya). Kenneth M. Pollack, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wonted
Adjective
  • The team's usual coach, JP MacCallum, took time off after his 10-year-old daughter, Selah, died of cancer, per Marchand's Instagram post.
    Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Blank sailings have only gotten more prevalent as ocean carriers aimed to stop months of declines in freight rates after a softer-than-usual peak shipping season.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • There was no customary surge in gas prices over the summer, and fuel costs began the most recent decline as autumn arrived.
    Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2025
  • The closing is expected to happen during the first quarter of 2026, subject to certain conditions, including customary regulatory approvals and payment of the purchase price.
    David Moin, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Second is its patience, which leads to some extremely effective scares as producer/writer/director/cinematographer/editor Oren Peli spins the tale of an ordinary suburban couple terrorized by an unseen entity.
    Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
  • What separates them from ordinary companies isn’t better strategy.
    Big Think, Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The sector’s climate impact has made decarbonization a priority, and SAF is considered one of the most viable alternatives to conventional jet fuel.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
  • His own composer as usual, Amenabar here tends to underline the film’s shortcomings, rather than elevate its idiosyncrasies with an original score that’s too conventional by half.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Delays start to increase On Day 31 of the 2019 shutdown, 10% of TSA workers called in sick - triple the normal absence rate.
    Doyinsola Oladipo, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Even though there were rumors about layoffs the day before, everything had seemed relatively normal.
    Lea Chen, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Residents here are not used to the kind of surveillance and military presence that is more commonplace in Caracas, the capital.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Abandonments like Brownie’s have become increasingly commonplace.
    Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • All are dressed in period garb — Clarkson in a gorgeous gown and her band, My Band Y’all, led by musical director and keyboardist Jason Halbert, in formal white dinner jackets typical of musical acts at the time.
    Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Alternatives to typical iron supplements to consider include intravenous (IV) iron, slow-release oral iron tablets, and dietary iron.
    Emmanuella Ogbonna, Health, 31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Their characteristic projecting spines serve both as flotation modulators (via a complex process akin to raising and lowering protoplasmic sails) and as masts permitting the cell to extend itself outward into the surrounding water and feed.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
  • The closure is made with a zipper on the front, a characteristic element of many of his creations.
    Andrea Onate, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wonted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wonted. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on wonted

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